Studs and Duds from OKC Thunder's First Slate of Games

Studs and Duds from OKC Thunder's First Slate of Games

Kevin Durant is overjoyed to have Russell Westbrook back alongside him.Layne Murdoch/Getty Images

After a summer of analysis, projections and hypotheses, we finally had the chance to see the Oklahoma City Thunder take the floor.

Some things look just like we expected. It's not a surprise to see Kevin Durant be one of the best players in the NBA and carry his team to victories. There are some performances, however, that have been disappointing.

Here are three Thunder players who have impressed, and three who still have work to do.

Dud: Kendrick Perkins

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Kendrick Perkins has been just what we expected.Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports

Per-Game Stats: 19 minutes, 4.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, 0.25 blocks

To his credit, Kendrick Perkins' value to a basketball team has never shown up in the box score. That said, he hasn't looked very effective on the floor, either.

He's been slow and ineffective for the most part, and his defense isn't what it used to be when he was a member of the Boston Celtics.

Perkins is still a valuable contributor, and he's going to be important in the Thunder's playoff hopes because of his defense against Dwight Howard, Marc Gasol and Tim Duncan. Despite that fact, he hasn't been playing well so far.

Stud: Steven Adams

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Steven Adams has played well in limited minutes.Shane Bevel/Getty Images

Maybe "stud" is a little generous, but Steven Adams has played well in limited minutes so far. Given the fact that Kendrick Perkins is playing in front of him, perhaps those minutes won't remain limited for long.

Adams has exceeded the expectations that were placed on him when he was selected with the 12th overall pick in the 2013 NBA draft.

In his four games, he's shown a good activity level, his rebounding chops, the ability to play solid defense and a good offensive touch.

It's looking more and more like he'll be a good contributor for the Thunder this season, and hopefully head coach Scott Brooks gives him more minutes as the season goes on.

Dud: Reggie Jackson

Reggie Jackson being listed as a dud isn't to say that he's been bad, but he hasn't lived up to expectations to start the year.

Jackson didn't look particularly comfortable running the show for OKC, and he's turned the ball over too much. With the extended minutes, Jackson should be scoring the ball better and demonstrating more efficiency.

He will be much more effective as a sixth man now that Russell Westbrook is back, and his numbers will reflect that over the course of the year.

Note: These statistics are from his first three games because he only played 12 minutes due to injury in his fourth game.

Stud: Kevin Durant

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Kevin Durant has been excellent, as you would expect.Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports

Like Reggie Jackson, this is another case of being negatively affected by Russell Westbrook's absence. Even so, Serge Ibaka has had a terrible start to the season.

He still isn't capable of scoring with added defensive attention, so it will be interesting to see if he can be the third scorer behind Westbrook and Durant.

Ibaka's field-goal percentage has plummeted to subterranean levels, and he hasn't even been blocking shots like his normal self.

The good news is that he has already played his two best games of the year with Westbrook back, and he turned in an Ibaka-like 17 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks on Wednesday against the Dallas Mavericks.